"In just 2 years she managed to destroy Grifffon softball with only a handful of kids returning from a 25 player roster. Whether she was fired, didn’t get her contract renewed or just quit. The cloud over Missouri Western Softball has finally been lifted and like a bandit in the middle of the night Nicole is gone and is no longer the head coach here. I would say good luck to her in her future endeavors, but she would NEVER be that kind or even a decent person to the kids she left behind."

"A coach that is truly invested in her girls. Left such an amazing imprint on my kids life. Treats her kids like family! Works very hard to bring success to her program and a winning culture. "

"Coach Nicole helped bring the love of the game back to me! She is a competitor in every aspect but loves her team. She cares about all her players on and off the field, believes in them, builds confidence and would do anything to help her players. "

"After spending time at Missouri Western with Coach Nicole Thompson I do not recommend this program to anyone. Coach Thompson is not a good coach or a good person. The top four reasons for my negative review of Coach Thompson and her program are: 1) Coach Thompson is emotionally unstable. The leader of a 25 to 30 person college softball program can’t be the most emotionally unhinged person in that program. The head coach needs to be the rock of stability and lead by example. Coach Thompson would get over the top happy after wins but would sink to unimaginable lows after losses. She chased umpires off the field after a loss when close calls didn’t go her way. When the team lost she would be hysterically crying in team huddles on the field after games. On road trips she would still be uncontrollably sobbing at team dinners after losses. Many times after practice she was seen just crying in her car. Coach Thompson’s mother had to call her on road trips to tell her that after watching her on TV during games she found her behavior to be completely unacceptable, I agree with her mom. She just isn’t emotionally mature enough to be a college coach let alone a head coach. 2) The Favorites and The Blame Game- As mentioned by other reviews Nicole Thompson plays favorites. All losses need to have someone on the team to blame for the loss and it certainly is never her fault or the fault of the favorites. After one loss she directly blamed the girl who was the teams best and most effective pitcher. It caused a massive disturbance within the team resulting in several team meetings to address. The team was never the same afterwards and spiraled from the best start in school history to a 9th place finish in the conference. The concept that they would win or lose as a team is totally foreign to Nicole Thompson. 3) Nicole Thompson is a poor coach. Calling her a coach is a bit of a misnomer. She is a Softball Team Manager. I never witnessed her coaching someone up, only negative comments after the play. Most Head Coach’s can either coach pitchers or hitters or sometimes both. She doesn’t help either hitters or pitchers. She had a pitching coach on staff but took pitch calling duties from her 2/3 of the way thru the season. Instead of calling pitches herself she gave that job to the catchers. Team record before this decision was 24-8 and the record after this decision was 8-10. She doesn’t coach hitters either. The favorites got hitting help from her husband everyone else was on their own. She might publicly disparage your hitting but was unable to offer advice or help on how to fix it. 4) Nicole Thompson is not an honest person. If she is recruiting you whatever she tells you is almost certainly not true. The program was littered with girls who felt they had been misled by her both during the recruitment process and during the two seasons she has been here. She is an extremely poor communicator. She obviously does not believe in herself as a coach if she does not feel comfortable telling kids the truth about their role in the program. Her lack of integrity is a massive factor in the poor team culture at Missouri Western. "

"Just say no! Would not recommend. You do not want to play for this coach. The assistant coach was worse, she was fired, so you won’t have to worry about her anymore, but you have been warned. I played for this coach and she was never positive or encouraging. Trust me, she changed none of us for the better. "

"As the parent of a player who has been involved in softball for many years, I can honestly say that my daughter’s experience with this team was unlike any we have encountered before. Unfortunately, much of the season was overshadowed by ongoing drama, much of which appeared to originate within the coaching staff. The level of immaturity and lack of professionalism displayed by the coaching staff was deeply disappointing. In our experience, Coach Thompson seemed to prioritize winning above all else, often at the expense of the players’ health, overall well-being and development. Accountability was also a recurring concern, as responsibility for issues was frequently shifted elsewhere rather than addressed directly. Overall, we felt the coaching lacked the maturity, stability, leadership, honesty, and knowledge necessary to effectively guide and support young athletes at this level. I would also like to mention how disappointing Senior Night was for the girls and their families. Regardless of the weather, the dinner portion of the evening was always expected to take place, yet the event appeared poorly planned and unprepared. Basic items such as tablecloths, plates, utensils, and sufficient beverages were either missing or extremely limited. There was no main meal provided, and most if not all of the food served — macaroni salad, rolls, a vegetable and dip tray, a cheese tray and several desserts — had been brought by parents. The parents were to bring a side or dessert to go with the meal, which was NEVER provided. No explanation was ever given; only a brief “thanks for coming.” The few plates available ran out almost immediately, the single gallon of water was gone before most people had even eaten, and because no silverware was provided, dips and macaroni salad simply sat untouched. Many families either chose not to eat or improvised by using napkins, paper towels from the restroom, or container lids as plates. Had the coaches communicated any needs beforehand, I am confident the parents would have gladly helped provide what was necessary. Most importantly, it was heartbreaking to watch the seniors receive such a disorganized and underwhelming send-off after the time, effort, and dedication they had given to the program. "

"Did not enjoy playing this year she does not care about the players except a few doesn’t even give you a chance also everything during recruitment was a lie She talks about players behind their back. "

"Coach Nicole has zero communication skills, she takes no responsibility for anything, she will turn every single thing around on everyone but her. She has basic knowledge about softball and unless you are one of her favorites you can forget getting any help or guidance. She throws tantrums like a child, cusses constantly, talks about all the players behind our backs to the other players. Don’t tell her anything personal, because she will immediately tell other players. She is the queen of the silent treatment, if we did anything wrong, strike out, make an error, throw a bad pitch, you would get the silent treatment for days! She ruined softball for all of us. Just look at the turn over on the team. Half the team had countdowns on our phones counting down the days until we were done! She also came to us crying about this site, because she found out about it on March 29th, so all the good ones on that date you can bet are from her family, they aren’t real! "

"Playing for Coach Thompson was the most rewarding experience of my life!!! She will always be a mentor and inspiration to me! "

"She is an extremely competitive coach who is willing to do whatever it takes to win. She builds strong, positive relationships with her players and creates an environment based on trust and respect. She makes sure every player is given a chance to show what they can do, which pushes everyone to work hard and improve. She also genuinely cares about her athletes not just on the field, but off it as well, supporting them as both players and individuals."

"Always willing to help and listen to her athletes. Cares about players on and off the field. Creates a competitive, uplifting, and right knit culture. There is a reason they are making history as a program this year. Great players, great coaching. "

"Cares about her players. Wants to win. Knowledgable about softball. Great coach "

"She's a competitor and wants to win, she's very clear in that. But she could care less about you if you're not producing for her. She has an "open door policy" which is so far from the truth. Creates an environment filled with drama, gossiping, and favorites. "

"Has favorites, doesn’t know much about softball. Relies on her husband to help with swings. Can be a good person to help recruit and get good players. "

"Coach Thompson is hands down the best person and coach I know. Her ability to lead and inspire a team compares to none. Team culture is great and she truly leads by example with everything she does. She is passionate about the game and wants the best for each one of her athletes. Will drop everything to help on and off the field. I have nothing but great things to say about her as a coach."

"This woman is not mature enough to be coaching young women. She has unprofessional relationships with certain players. She gossips about players with other players and her assistant coach. I don’t know much about her actual softball knowledge but the team wasn’t very successful and neither was her player retention. This experience was from Missouri Western."

"A coach that is easy to get along with and cares deeply about the game. "